From changes to teacher evaluation to the inner workings of the teachers’ unions, reporter Madeline Will and contributing writer Brenda Iasevoli keep you up to date on the biggest issues shaping the teaching profession today.

The next wave of teacher activism begins on Thursday, as tens of thousands of educators in both Arizona and Colorado walk out of their classrooms and head to the state capitols.

In Arizona, 78 percent of the 57,000 school employees who cast ballots across the state voted to go on strike. They are asking for $1 billion in school funding, which would include a 20 percent pay raise for teachers.

"I know that it sounds like it's almost incredulous that anyone would ask for that much of a raise, but we're just trying to get competitive salaries," said Joe Thomas, the president of the Arizona Education Association, in an interview. "A 20 percent raise still has us beneath the national average."

About 100 school districts and charter schools in the state are scheduled to close on Thursday—meaning a combined enrollment of about 840,000 students will be affected, according to the Arizona Republic. Grassroots organizers with Arizona Educators United, a teacher-led Facebook group, have said that an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 educators will rally at the state capitol Thursday.

The statewide teacher walkouts in West Virginia and Oklahoma both lasted for nine days. Thomas said he thinks teachers in Arizona would be willing to stay out that long, too, if needed.

"A lot of that depends on the action of the legislature," he said. "You cannot have 20,000 people at the capitol and have everyone act like they're not there."

One Republican state lawmaker has proposed a three-year, 1-cent education sales tax increase, which would provide the state's public district and charter schools with $880 million a year more in discretionary funding, according to the Arizona Republic. It remains to be seen if that proposal will generate enough support in the legislature to pass.

Meanwhile, the state house majority whip, Kelly Towsend, announced on social media that she's consulting with lawyers over a potential class-action lawsuit "for those who are impacted by the extended school year or other harm that comes to them by the teacher walkout." She told the Arizona Republic that she's worried the walkout will delay her son's high school graduation, and her family members have already bought plane tickets for the event. Her comments were met with derision and anger from teachers and other citizens.

In Colorado, teachers aren't yet preparing for a statewide walkout on the same scale as Arizona—but some school districts across the state will be closed on Thursday and Friday as teachers protest at the capitol.

Over a dozen school districts—affecting over half of the students in the state—will be closed during one of the two days or will release students early. The Denver school district, the largest in the state, is canceling classes on Friday, but still requiring teachers to take personal or unpaid leave, according to the Denver Post.

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